OUR READERS WRITE: Letters from July 7 issue

Here is my idea for removing the sea lions from La Jolla Cove without touching or hurting them, while cleaning the rocks, bluffs and beaches of their urine and poop at the same time. The La Jolla Coastal Broom Patrol would consist of many individuals with long brooms.

Step 1 would take place over a period of days (as needed) and is called The Wall of Brooms. It starts at Goldfish Point and stretches all the way to The Cove as the first goal.

From the bluff above Goldfish Point down to the waters-edge (where the skin divers go into the water in front of the Sunny Jim Cave and the Shell Shop Platform), we’ll begin the line of individuals with the long brooms. Imagine how the Roman Legions created battle lines of soldiers and interlocking shields moving slowly, one step at a time, pushing the enemy back. We’ll take this line of brooms and move in slowly, sweeping and cleaning the entire way. This should be enough to annoy and pester the pinnipeds, and over time, with the presence of the Broom Patrol, the sea lions will move back, off the rocks and into the water to find another home.

There is no need to move fast nor make contact with the animals, the Broom Patrol wall of people will just be in position sweeping and moving forward — starting at inches a day — moving slowly is the key to pushing the sea lions back safely. This will be a 24-hour-a-day project, since at night, the sea lions completely move in and take over. The Broom Patrol phase one may also need water support with the use of long garden hoses pumping sea water to spray the animals from yards away to annoy them as the Broom Patrol line moves nearer. This water spray and broom combination will completely cleanse the animal poop and urine off the rocks in the process.

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At first, the sweeping and hosing of the rocks all of sea lion excrement and contaminants into the ocean will cause severe pollution of the water, just like with heavy rain storm runoff, so it will be necessary to close the areas to swimmers for the Broom Patrol Wall time period, and it will be best to launch Step 1 in the winter when rain and powerful surf, along with smaller beach crowds, will allow the ocean to clean itself much faster — in, most likely, just a few days.

Once the Step 1 of the Broom Patrol Wall completes the mass removal of sea lions, poop and urine from the rocks, bluffs and beaches, then we begin Step 2. This involves a small Broom Patrol crew working in 24-hour shifts roaming the areas of beaches and bluffs to maintain the annoyance to the sea lions, keeping them off the rocks, bluffs and beaches for the long-term.

Just imagine, even now, without any preparation, how a small group of people with brooms moving down the beach would quickly and easily get the sea lions to move into the water, and that is the simple idea! There just needs to be a few people “walking this beat,” much like police guards, but simply, be people with brooms.

More ideas for ending La Jolla’s Cove Stench

To get rid of the stench, we need to get rid of the pinnipeds. Not harm them physically or emotionally — make it their choice to leave. If it were easy, it would have already been done. Dogs stationed on the beach might encourage them to go elsewhere. Rounding them up and transporting the sea lions to San Clemente Island or Morro Bay would work, but who’s to say they and/or others won’t return.

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Putting up nets in the water (like Australia does to keep sharks from swimmers) and which allow divers and snorkelers access to deeper waters, might just be the solution. It’s only a matter of time before these pinnipeds attract sharks to the area and a swimmer is attacked — not IF, but WHEN!

Pete Ward

Sidewalk project: Good idea, but not mine

I would like to thank La Jolla Light reporter María José Durán for her interest in the walkability of La Jolla’s older neighborhoods, as well as the Light for featuring bike and pedestrian access in our community. I would, however, like to correct the record that stated I am involved in “an effort to create a network of private pedestrian trails (in the open space on Mt. Soledad).” My comments to Ms. Duran were referring to project review conducted by the Development Permit Review Committee (DPR), of which I am a member.

DPR routinely requests information on existing easements as part of its duties on behalf of the community. Recent examples include the Copley “Reserve” Master Plan and the Country Club Reservoir Replacement project, both reviewed in 2015, and the Muirlands water line replacement project from earlier this year. DPR’s purpose was to ensure that existing utility and access easements remained unimpaired. These could form fragments of a future trail network.

Unlike the Coastal Commission, DPR does not solicit private access easements as a condition of project approval.

Although I think a public trail network on Mt. Soledad would be a desirable community amenity, and certainly much safer for recreational exercise than walking on our narrow streets without sidewalks, spearheading such a system is beyond my time and energy budgets. I would, however, graciously impart the idea to others who are more liberally endowed with those resources than I.

Diane Kane

More sidewalks, more happy people

I recently read the La Jolla Light article titled, “Why No Sidewalks”? As an avid skateboarder I like to be able to use my skateboard to get to my friends’ houses or other activities. Unfortunately, the part of La Jolla that I live in often has patches of sidewalks that are missing. I have at times felt unsafe when I have had to use the street instead of a sidewalk.

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I would strongly advise that sidewalks be put in for the safety of other skaters and pedestrians alike. If the City of San Diego is unwilling to pay for the sidewalks, I would ask the La Jolla Town Council to take on the issue of organizing community volunteers for monetary donations and time to install sidewalks.

I belong to Boy Scout Troop 506 and the National League of Young Men, and I know both organizations would be willing to offer members who would volunteer their time to help with any community sidewalk projects

Preston Buljat

La Jolla High School

Artist must follow Code Enforcement

If the structure on Avenida Mañana in La Jolla is allowed to stay, watch out City of San Diego! Anyone who wants to build anything on their property can do so, if they call it “art.” No requirements will be enforced because you can tell Code Enforcement that because “he did it, so can I.” You can also tell Code Enforcement to stand in line at the unemployment office to collect their checks because their jobs have no value at all.

Cindy Anderson

Congress and a little Flag ‘foolery’

Several years ago, while vacationing in Connecticut, I found an old American Flag in a barn in Woodbury. The Flag is a handmade, very large (6 x 16.5 feet), Garrison Flag with 43 stars and it may have flown on the Connecticut State Capitol. Unfortunately the size of my treasured 43 star flag makes it a challenge to fly ... I have had to settle for a “folded” display.

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Research led to the discovery that my flag is extremely rare and the reason for its rarity makes for a rather interesting Fourth of July story. Most of us have probably forgotten how and when stars were added to our Flag ... here is an excerpt from a letter from David Martucci, an American Flag historian:

“This flag dates from the one year that the 43 star flag was official, from 4 July 1890 to 3 July 1891, and is very rare in that Congress pulled a ‘fast one’ by their action immediately before this flag became official.

Stars are added to the U.S. Flag by law on the Fourth of July, following admission to the Union. In 1889, the flag bore 38 stars. A bill was introduced in Congress to admit one new state, Dakota. Flag makers began to make 39-star flags. However, Congress fooled everyone by dividing Dakota into two states, before admitting them together, on Nov. 2, 1889.

Just six days later, Nov. 8 1889, Congress also admitted Montana and then proceeded to admit Washington only three days after that, on Nov. 11, 1889. There the matter rested and the flag makers no doubt, all breathing a collective sigh of relief, began to make 42-star flags in sizeable numbers.

Congress, however, was not finished with its practical jokes. Late in the day of July 3, 1890, less than 24 hours before the new stars were to be added, Congress proceeded to admit Idaho, the 43rd state. There were no 43 star flags available, although we have anecdotes of folks quickly sewing on an additional star for the July 4 celebrations. Before the flag makers could get into action to start making correct flags, Congress proceeded to admit Wyoming on July 10, 1890. The flag makers began to switch directly to 44 star flags, once they got Congress to promise to quit its admission frenzy.”

Joseph Manno

Common Core-elation!

La Jolla Elementary student Torin Young, 9, used new math skills taught by teacher Irene Akiyama to win the La Jolla Riford Library’s Lego Guessing Jar contest, July 1. The reigning “rain man” bested 245 other entries by calculating that the jar held 543 Legos — it actually held 542. He was presented an award of two books by Children’s Librarian Angie Stava. Results were counted June 30.

Jessica Young

What’s on YOUR mind?

Editor’s Note: Letters published in La Jolla Light express views and comments from readers in regard to community issues. Letters do not necessarily reflect opinions of the newspaper staff or publisher. To share your thoughts in this public forum, e-mail editor@lajollalight.com or mail them to La Jolla Light Editor, 565 Pearl St., Suite 300, La Jolla, CA 92037.

Although those in attendance at the new Safe, Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative (SHNI) meeting Sept. 4 in the La Jolla Library were seeking local solutions to the homelessness they’ve observed in their neighborhoods, they were met instead with broader City- and County-wide resources that address the varied facets of this very complex issue.

Sitting at the Brick & Bell coffee shop in La Jolla Shores on Sept. 4 with local residents Sandra Munson and Tim Johnson as they catch up over iced teas, one would never know that just three weeks prior, the two were undergoing surgery so Munson could donate a kidney to Johnson.